In Saudi Arabia, a woman is a prisoner in her own house, unable even to leave unless accompanied by a male family member. The punishent for leaving the house without a male family member is jail or flogging. In Iran, just this
month, 33 women who held a protest for women's rights were arrested and jailed. Further, women in Iran and the tribal areas of Pakistan who are suspected of adultery or prostitution face death by stoning. The muslim government of the Sudan has allowed, if not actively employed, muslim miltias to systematically rape and murder black African women in Darfur.
These would seem very serious violations of women's rights - and they are but the tip of the iceberg of human / women's rights abuses that occur in middle eastern or Islamic countries. But that is irrelevant in the alternate universe occupied by the UN. Thus it is not surprising that the UN Commission on the Status of Women, after surveying the plight of women the world over, should find only one violater of women's rights worthy of derision. You get one guess which country it is.
Israel. Yes, it is Israel that is the world's only violater of women's rights -- and in particular of Palestinian women's rights. The UN , by a vote of 40 to 2, voted to condemn Israel for. . . all acts of violence, including all acts of terror, provocation, incitement and destruction, especially the excessive use of force against Palestinian civilians, many of them women and children, resulting in injury and loss of human life.
And, particularly for the Islamic countries that took part in this vote, it is the height of hypocr
isy to accuse Israel of terrorism when it is the Islamic countries themselves that have prevented the UN from defining the word "terrorism." The Islamic countries have done so because they do not want to be criticized for their support of - nor their commision of - the wanton slaughter of Israelis - including women and children - whenever and whereever it can be accomplished.
At any rate, the vote for this report issued by the UN Commission on the Status of Women saw the United Kingdom and Germany vote for condemnation of Israel. Only the U.S. and Canada voted against this piece of propoganda.
The UN has become, in so many ways, little more then a mouthpiece for the Islamic world in their quest to see Israel wiped from the map. In doing so, Islamic countries insure that no spotlight is shown upon the abuses in their own countries -- abuses that are exponentially worse then anything found in Israel or the rest of the free world. And in this dissembling, they are unconscionably aided by an ever more anti-semetic and shameless Europe. It is an abomonation in general - and for Europe, it is a lemming like march towards the status of dhimmi.
Another aspect of all of acts such as this latest vote is that it removes from the UN even a patina of respectability. The UN does do some good - particularly the World Health Organization. But acts such as this by the UN Commission on the Status of Women, or anything coming out of the UN's Human Rights Organization, are pure polemics devoid of any hint of fairness and largely untouched by reality.
I hold little hope that Zalmay Khalilzad, our former Ambassador to Iraq currently undergoing Senate Hearings for his appointment as Ambassador to the UN, can have much of an impact. But at least he recognizes the need for reform. As Mr. Khalilzad said yesterday in his hearings, "absence of reform is a mortal threat to the United Nations." I could not concur more.
Saturday, March 17, 2007
The UN Exists In An Alternate Islamic Universe
Has Al Qaeda In Iraq Made a Fatal Error?
Mohammed, the author of Iraq the Model and himself a Sunni muslim resident of Baghdad, believes that they have. I posted just below on al Qaeda attacks occurring outside of Baghdad, including three suicide bombings / chlorine gas attacks aimed at Sunni civilians and that effected over 350 people in Anbar province. The U.S. and Iraqi government are making headway in convincing Anbar's Sunni tribesman to forsake support of al Qaeda and join the government. Mohammed thinks that these attacks will put Anbar firmly in the government camp and constitute a fatal error by al Qaeda in Iraq: With this series of dirty chemical bombings a war between al-Qaeda and the tribes in Anbar is no longer a possibility. It just became a fact.
Read Iraq the Model here.
I've read at least two very optimistic reports from al-Almada in the last week about purported victories of the tribes and police over al-Qaeda in Ramadi and Fallujah. I was reluctant to trust the accuracy of the reports which sited unnamed sources but now seeing the reaction of al-Qaeda suggests that the action of the tribes was so painful that al-Qaeda retaliated in the way we see today.
Al-Qaeda's terrorists-whom AP insists on calling insurgents-expended three suicide bombers and precious resources against their supposedly sympathetic civilian Sunni hosts instead of American and Iraqi soldiers and Shia civilians; their usual enemies.
If this indicates anything it indicates that al-Qaeda's is reprioritizing the targets on the hit list. The reason: al-Qaeda is sensing a serious threat in the change of attitude of the tribes toward them and perhaps the apparently successful meeting of the sheiks with Maliki and the agreements that were made then was the point at which open war had to be declared.
The tribes in Anbar are stubborn and they have many ruthless warriors. That's a proven fact and it looks like Al-Qaeda had just made their gravest mistake—their once best friends are just about to become their worst enemy.
News From Outside Baghdad
Col. Sutherland . . . said security forces were trying to work with tribal leaders and the local government to wean the residents from supporting the enemy.
As the U.S. and Iraqi forces are having significant success in Baghdad, insurgents are moving out and trying to reestablish themselves in other areas of Iraq. There have been increasing attacks in both Anbar and Diyala provinces.
Diyala province is northeast of Baghdad and extends to the Iranian border. The population is mostly Sunni, but there are also significant Shia and Kurd populations. Diyala has seen a jump in attacks against coallition forces, mostly by al Qaeda but also by rouge Shia militias.
"The increased violence cannot happen without the support of the people," said Col. Sutherland, commander of the 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Division.
Gen. Husain said terrorists in the area were getting help "from Iran to Baqouba (the capital of Diyala province). We have identified these areas and we are working to cut off the supply," he said. Gen. Husain, however, stopped short of directly accusing Iran of helping al Qaeda in Iraq. "Iran is not helping al Qaeda, but they are smuggling IEDs and other weapons like C-4 and anti-tank mines [into the area]," he said.
Gen. Husain said that security forces also had captured two Egyptians and two Syrians operating in Baqouba, and that other suspects had spoken of Afghans in the area.
. . . .
But as anti-coalition attacks increase, sectarian Iraqi-on-Iraqi violence is dropping, [Col. Sutherland] said. There were 124 killings of local nationals in July 2006, but the number came down to just 16 in February, he said.
. . . .
The U.S. military leader said security forces were working with tribal leaders in the province to help force a wedge between extremists and those willing to join the political process.
Read the story here.
In Anbar, there are increasing attacks by al Qaeda as the U.S. and Iraq forces are having success in convincing tribal leaders to denounce al Qaeda and join in support of the Iraqi government. Yesterday, three suicide bombers attacked in Anbar province, killing two policemant but exposing 350 civilians and six U.S. soldiers to chlorine gas.
Chlorine gas attacks date back to World War I, when it was used in German attacks at Ypress, France in 1915. It has of late become a favored weapon of al Qaeda in Iraq. Chlorine gas interacts with water in human tissues to form hydrochloric and other acids, thus making it a significant irritant. People exposed to chlorine gas will start to show symptoms of irritation within a few minutes of exposure -- and it can be quite painful and debilitating. The only good news about a chlorine gas attack is that it takes very high concentrations to be lethal and, in exposures of non-lethal concentration, the prognosis for recovery is very good. According to e-Medicine: "Most individuals exposed to chlorine gas recover without significant sequelae. Even exposure to high-concentration chlorine gas is unlikely to result in significant, prolonged pulmonary disease."
Friday, March 16, 2007
Bush Derangement Syndrome; Cheney Variant
Dr. Charles Krauthammer diagnoses a liberal author whose premise is that Cheney is evil, but that such evil has a medical cause. As always, Dr. Krauthammer is quite entertaining.
Pakistan: Radical Muslims Stone & Execute 3 for Adultery
This, from a Pakistani newspaper, shows Pakistan trying to come to grips with the rising religous fundementalism emanating out of the North West Fronteir Province (NWFP):
[T]he three accused of adultery were caught and . . . taken to an open place, first stoned and then shot dead by two men wearing masks and said to be 'activists' of the militant group that calls itself the Lashkar-e-Islam.
That religious extremists and obscurantists were behind this gruesome episode is proven by the fact that reports say that the crowd assembled to watch the killing after hearing it through mosque loudspeakers. It is unfortunate that instead of spreading love, peace and tolerance -- which is Islam's real message -- these purveyors of hate rallied a crowd to watch three people being stoned and then shot dead. The gory incident is also evidence of Talibanisation in the country, which seems to be growing well beyond parts of FATA like the Waziristan region to places close to the NWFP's settled districts.
. . . If anything, what happened on Wednesday only makes the case stronger for FATA to be absorbed into mainstream Pakistan, which means that it should have its police force and courts just like the rest of the country. As for the conservatism in the area, until the rise of the Taliban in the mid-1990s and growing influence of extremists in the region since the US invasion of Afghanistan, there were no reported instances of public executions. This is something that goes to the 'credit' of the Taliban alone and unless the government acts against their sympathisers inside Pakistan the brutalisation of society will continue unhindered. This is incidentally the second incident of jirga-sanctioned stoning to death in recent weeks. The last came from a village near Donga Bonga in southern Punjab and the incident seems to have been largely forgotten with no follow-up on what happened to the perpetrators.
Read the entire article here.
Update: More detail from the Hindu News Agency:
Two men and a woman accused of adultery were stoned to death by hundreds of tribesmen and bullets pumped into their bodies on the direction of a pro-Taliban outfit in Pakistan's North West Frontier Province.
"The incident occurred in one Watan Shah's home in Meelot village in Bara and the men and woman were produced before a council of religious outfit Lashkar-e-Islami yesterday," an area official who didn't wish to be named said today.
He said some people in Bara area had complained to the outfit about the two men having an adulterous relationship with a divorcee in the area.
"We know that the Lashkar sent men to check on the house of Watan Shah and found the woman Taslilm and two tribesmen Allah Noor and Shahzad in a compromising position after which they were produced before a council and punished to death by stoning," he added.
He said hundreds of tribesmen had participated in the stoning of the three at a "huge ceremony" after which the Lashkar activists also fired bullets into their bodies.
In Pakistan's tribal areas, women are rarely allowed to venture out of home without their menfolk.
Perhaps There Is Something to Look Forward To In Retirement
There is little like senior citizen discounts. See here.
Thursday, March 15, 2007
The NYT Pot Calling the BBC Kettle Black
Criticism of the BBC's leftist bent seems to be reaching a fevered pitch these days, what with the publication of Robin Aitken's new book (see here, here and here). And many others are jumping on the bandwagon. You know it's over the top when even the New York Times, itself a bastion of leftist thought, joins in the accusations, as recounted in this opinion piece in the Times:
When the editorial pages of The New York Times accuse the BBC of anti-Western bias it is worth taking notice. It is a little like Osama bin Laden accusing Mahmoud Ahmadinejad of being a bit harsh on the Jews. It suggests that in other, even pretty unlikely, parts of the world, people are waking up to the menace to our values represented by the BBC. The British sadly, seem curiously content to remain in thrall to it.
Read the article here.
That Rarest of Things - A Good Guardian Opinion Piece
Actually, a very good one from Timothy Ash on "dissidents" within the Muslim world who operate within the strictures of Islam as they understand it. Its refreshing to see an opinion piece on Islam in the Guardian that does not jump whole-hog on the multicultural bandwagon. Not only is the opinion piece good, so are more then a few of the near 160 comments -- both those in agreement and those not. It is well worth a read.
U.K. Multiculturalists Gone Wild
Ahhhh, the insanity of British multiculturalists. The degree of humor they provide is almost enough to counter the feelings of despair their acts engender over the suicide of Western civili
How can you tell when you have carried the philosophy of multiculturalism past the very furthest of societal boundaries? When even the Muslim Council of Britain -- the U.K.'s main Wahabbi organization -- calls your actions nuts.
It seems that an elementary school teacher in the U.K., caught up in a rapturous burst of multiculturalism, decided to redo the words
and lyrics of a school play of the "The Three Little Pigs" and change it all to . . . "The Three Little Puppies." The goal of course was to avoid offending Muslims by making pig references. What makes this already absurdly extreme act especially precious is that Muslims view dogs as unclean. But I add that just as an aside.
One might think that a few of the more radical Muslims might have applauded the teacher's voluntary assumption of the status of dhimmi, but no. Muslims of all sects, even Wahhabis, were offended by the teacher's multicultural faux pas:. . . [Y]esterday Islamic leaders condemned the politically correct move as misguided and said decisions like this were turning Muslims into 'misfits' in society.
. . . .
. . . Shaykh Ibrahim Mogra from the Muslim Council of Britain branded the move 'bizarre'. He said: "The vast majority of Muslims have no problem whatsoever with the Three Little Pigs. It's always been the traditional way of telling the story and I don't see why that should be changed.
"There's an issue about the eating of pork, which is forbidden, but there is no prohibition about reading stories about pigs. This is an unnecessary step."
. . . .
Other recent rows have involved 'Baa Baa Black Sheep' being changed to 'Baa Baa rainbow sheep' and Christmas events called 'winter' festivities. Mr Mogra said: "How far are we going to go? Are we going to change the seven dwarves because it's discriminatory towards people who are physically less able? Where do you draw the line?
zation. But then again, perhaps this is evidence that the nutso multiculturalists are on to something. Anyone familiar with Shakespeare's play The Taming of the Shrew will recall how Petruchio tamed Kate by going over the top with kindness. Maybe thats what we should do -- all convert to Wahhabi Islam and become so fastidious and over the top that even the radical Islamists run away screaming. Just a passing thought.
Do please see the rest of the article here. For a less humorous look at the roots of the U.K.'s problem with multiculturalism, please see here.
Democrats Dissemble; Reid Resolution Fails to Pass
Speaking at the National Press Club in 2005, my good friend the Majority Leader himself said this: "As for setting a timeline, as we learned in the Balkans, that’s not a wise decision, because it only empowers those who don’t want us there, and it doesn’t work well to do that." Six months after that, the Chairman of the Foreign Relations Committee, Senator Biden, said this: "A deadline for pulling out … will only encourage our enemies to wait us out" … it would be "a Lebanon in 1985. And God knows where it goes from there." That was our friend, Joe Biden, Chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee.
Update: The Reid Amendment has just failed even to achieve a majority - 50 Nays to 48 Yeas with Senators Lieberman and Pryor (D-Ark) joining the Republicans
The Senate is preparing to vote on the Reid Amendment that sets an amorphous "goal" of being out of Iraq by March, 2008 without any consideration of our national security. Powerline has a good post on the position mapped out by the Democrats:
"On the Senate floor yesterday, Minority Leader Mitch McConnell quoted leading Senate Democrats who have acknolwedged, in the recent past, that setting such a deadline would be destructive and would help the terrorists. He has reproduced his speech on his web site:"
And three months later, Senator Clinton made the same point when she said, "I don’t believe it’s smart to set a date for withdrawal," said Senator Clinton. "I don’t think you should ever telegraph your intentions to the enemy so they can await you." That’s the Majority Leader, Chairman of the Foreign Relations Committee, and a prominent Democrat presidential candidate.
Surely Senators Reid, Biden, and Clinton have not changed their minds about who would benefit the most if we set a date certain for withdrawal. They know just as well as I do that this is what the terrorists have been waiting for — and just what our allies in Iraq, and the entire region of the world have feared.
". . . There are only two possibilities. Either the Democrats can articulate some objective conditions that have changed so drastically in the last few months that what was formerly unwise and dangerous has now become necessary, or else they are deliberately trying to undermine our security in exchange for political gain. If I were a reporter, I would be asking the Senate Democrats some hard questions."
Read the remainder of the post here. Acutally, I have sat through the Senate speeches on C-Span today. I have yet to hear a single Democrat address the surge, nor how they think pulling out of Iraq will effect our national security. It's rather painful to listen, actually. As to Powerline, they argue that this Democratic dissimulation is a true scandal that papers should be harping upon. I have to agree, though I will not hold my breath waiting for the NYT news analysis piece on it.
Those Lying Dhimmihs
The dhimihs are lying, at least according to Sheikh Taysir Tamimi, chief Palestinian Justice and the second most important Palestinian cleric after the Grand Mufti of Jerusalem. According to the Sheikh, Christians are lying about Jesus -- he is not the son of God who rose from the dead, but rather a prophet of Islam -- as was Moses. And then there is the West Wall in Jerusalem. Apparently that was simply a place for Mohammed to hitch his horses. And as to all the contemporaneous historical writings about the Jewish Temple on the Temple Mount - now the site of al Aksa Mosque, they are not but forgeries.
In a WND exclusive interview, Tamimi, who preaches regularly from the Al Aqsa Mosque, claimed Jews have no historical connection to Jerusalem or Israel and that the Jewish Temples never existed.
"Israel started since 1967 making archeological digs to show Jewish signs to prove the relationship between Judaism and the city and they found nothing. There is no Jewish connection to Israel before the Jews invaded in the 1880's," said Tamimi.
"About these so-called two Temples, they never existed, certainly not at the Haram Al- Sharif (Temple Mount)," Tamimi said.
How is it possible to deal with people like this who have no respect for anyone not of their faith and who acknowledge no one else's concerns being equal to their own. Negotiation is certainly not possible. Read the whole story here.
The Sins of Khalid Sheikh Mohammed
The statement of Khalid Sheikh Mohammed is out. It includes a long litany of his acts -- many of which involved planning for attacks that, thankfully, were never brought to fruition:
1. I was responsible for the 1993 World Trade Center Operation.Read the entire statement here.
2. I was responsible for the 9/11 Operation, from A to Z.
. . .
4. I was responsible for the Shoe Bomber Operation to down two American airplanes.
5. I was responsible for the Filka Island Operation in Kuwait that killed two American soldiers.
6. I was responsible for the bombing of a nightclub in Bali, Indonesia, which was
frequented by British and Australian nationals.
7. I was responsible for planning, training, surveying, and financing the New (or Second)Wave attacks against the following skyscrapers after 9/11:
a. Library Tower, California.
b. Sears Tower, Chicago;
c. Plaza Bank, Washington state.
d. The Empire State Building, New York City.
8. I was responsible for planning, financing. & follow-up of Operations to destroy
American military vessels and oil tankers in the Straights of IIormuz, the Straigllts of Gibralter, and the Port of Singapore.
9. I was responsible for planning, training, surveying, and financing for the Operation to bomb and destroy the Panama Canal.
10. I was responsible for surveying and financing for the assassination of several former American Presidents, including President Carter.
11. I was responsible for surveying, planning, and financing for the bombing of suspension bridges in New York.
12. I was responsible for planning to destroy the Sears Tower by burning a few fuel or oil tanker trucks beneath it or around it.
13. I was responsible for planning, surveying, and financing for the operation to destroy Heathrow Airport, the Canary Wharf Building, and Big Ben on British soil.
14. I was responsible for planning, surveying, and financing for the destruction of many night clubs frequented by American and British citizens on Thailand soil.
15. I was responsible for surveying and financing far the destruction of the New York
Stock Exchange and other financial targets after 911 1.
16. I was responsible for planning, financing, and surveying for the destruction of buildings in the Israeli city of Elat by using airplanes leaving from Saudi Arabia.
17. I was responsible for planning, surveying, and financing for the destruction of
American embassies in Indonesia. Australia, and Japan.
18. I was responsible for surveying and financing for the destruction of the Israeli embassy in India, Azerbaijan, the Philippines, and Australia.
19. I was responsible for surveying and financing ibr the destruction of an Israeli 'El-AI' Airlines flight on Thailand soil departing from Bangkok Airport.
20. I was responsible for sending several Mujahadeen into Israel to conduct surveillance to hit several strategic targets deep in Israel.
21. I was responsible for the bombing of the hotel in Mombasa that is frequented by Jewish travelers via El-A1 airlines.
22. I was responsible for launching a Russian-made SA-7 surface-to-air missile on El-A1 or other Jewish airliner departing from Mombasa.
23. I was responsible for planning and surveying to hit American targets in South Korea, such as American military bases and a few night clubs frequented by American
soldiers.
24. I was responsible for financial, excuse me, I was responsible for providing financial support to hit American, Jewish, and British targets in Turkey.
25. I was responsible for surveillance needed to hit nuclear power plants that generate electricity in several U.S. states.
26. I was responsible for planning, surveying, and financing to hit NATO Headquarters in Europe.
27. I was responsible for the planning and surveying needed to execute the Rojiilka
Operation, which was designed to down twelve American airplanes full of passengers.
I personally monitored a round-trip, Manila-to-Seoul, Pan Am flight.
28. I was responsible for the assassination attempt against President Clinton dwing his visit to the Philippines in 1994 or 1995.
29. I was responsible for the assassination attempt against Pope John Paul the second while he was visiting the Philippines."
29. "I shared responsibility for the assassination attempt against Pope John Paul the second while he was visiting the Philippines.
30. I was responsible for the training and financing for the assassination of Pakistan's President Musharaf.
31. I was responsible for the attempt to destroy an American oil company owned by the Jewish former Secretary of State, Henry Kissinger, on the Island of Sumatra, Indonesia.
Hattip: Counterterroism.org
Negotiation & Deluson
Dr. Sanity, joined by Harvard psychiatrist Dr. Kenneth Levin, looks at the delusional acts of those calling for negotiation with the radical Islamists in the Middle East.
The United States of the 21st century likewise believes that it can negotiate with Islamic totalitarians post-9/11. This is all part of the psychological dynamics of people who feel under siege and who desperately hope that negotiation and appeasement will finally bring about a cessation of hostilities. Unfortunately, this hope is at best wishful thinking; at worse a serious delusion. It is far more likely to bring about an escalation of hostilities and violence, rather than peace. In an earlier interview Levin was asked why people under siege often end up internalizing the hatred against themselves and delude themselves about the malicious intentions of their enemies?Read the entire post here.
EU: Doing Its Part To Destabilize The Middle East
Today's latest EU insanity - coming down on the side of Syria in their demands that Israel simply give back the Golan Heights.
The European Union supports Syria's goal of regaining the occupied Golan Heights from Israel, the EU foreign policy chief said after meeting President Bashar al-Assad on Wednesday.
"We would like to work as much as possible to see your country Syria recuperate the territory taken in 1967," Javier Solana told a joint news conference with Foreign Minister Walid al-Moualem.
The Golan Heights is a strategically important mountainous region on the Syria-Israel border. Holding the Golan Heights secures northern Israel. Indeed, prior to 1967 when it was captured by Israel, the Golan was heavily militarized by Syria and Syria had used positions on the Golan to shell Northern Israel. Syria attempted to retake the Golan Heights in the 1973 War. The strong strategic position held by Israel on the heights allowed less then 200 Israeli tanks to fend off a force many times greater from Syria. The bottom line, the Golan Heights is necessary to secure Israel's defense absent a wholly benign Syria -- something that most assuredly does not exist in this time and place. Given that Syia and Iran are allies, and given Iranian bellicosity against Israel and their command of Hezbollah, giving back the Golan Heights would be suicidal.
This act by the EU is nonsensical, though it plays into the strange logic of the EU, which on other fronts is actively attempting to subvert U.S. counterterrorist programs, such as the financial tracking program and our attempts to identify people flying to America who may be on terrorist watch lists. I guess it should not be a surprise that the EU is now proactively throwing its backing to terrorist-supporting countries such as Syria at the expense of Israel the Middle East's only stable, functioning democracy. This act by the EU can only further destabilize the region. Given EU member countries own extensive problems with radical Islam, this is just one more step of the Euro-lemmings towards the cliff.
Taliban Alledged to Have Kidnapped Nuclear Scientists For Al Qaeda
This is ominous. From a report today by India's Zeenews:
Two top nuclear scientists of Pakistan Atomic Energy Commission (PAEC) are currently in Taliban custody. The two were working at PAEC’s facility in North West Frontier Province. Zee News investigations reveal that the two scientists were kidnapped about six months ago. To avoid international embarrassment Pakistan Government has kept this information under wraps.
According to information available with Zee News, nuclear scientists have been kidnapped by Taliban at the behest of Al-Qaeda. Further investigations reveal that Al-Qaeda may be using the expertise of the scientists to produce nuclear bombs. The two scientists are reportedly being held somewhere in Waziristan, near Afghanistan border.
We will have to see if this is confirmed. Read the rest of the story here.
The Sky is Falling, The Sky is Falling
Chicken Little meets the Goracle's Recoligion.
"It's surreal to have pre-eminent scientists tell us very seriously that civilization as we know it is over," Blakemore said. "The scale is unprecedented. It touches every aspect of life."
Read the whole story here.
Rudy & Hugo
This is one of those self inflicted injuries -- this particular one lacking in any real substance -- that has to make you shake your head. Absent Fred Thompson getting into the race, which would be a wild card, I fully expect Giuliani to be the Republican nominee for President. So mark this one, we will be hearing it several times in the future from the other Presidential hopefuls -- the law firm in which Giuliani is a partner has, as one of its clients, CITGO, Hugo Chavez's Venezuelan owned oil and gas company. That one has to make you chuckle. Apparently Giuliani's law firm, though not he himself, has been lobbying on behalf of CITGO. That should make for some uncomfortable and entertaining moments in the debates.
Wednesday, March 14, 2007
The Wahhabization of Antwerp
The Washington Times carries an editorial today describing one woman's observations as she watched Wahhabi / Salafi (they are different terms for the same religion arising out of Saudia Arabia) Muslims methodically take over the mosques in Antwerp. It is very disturbing both for its mapping of how radical Wahhabi Islam is infiltrating and supplanting all other strains of Islam in Europe, and for displaying how leftist governments, the Wahhabist's useful idiots, are turning a blind eye:About three years ago, young men dressed in black moved into the neighborhoods. They had been trained in Saudi Arabia and Jordan and adhere to Salafism, a radical version of Islam. They set up youth organizations, which gradually took over the local mosques. "The Salafists know how to debate and they know the Qur'an by heart, while the elderly running the mosques do not," she said They also have money. "One of them told me that he gets Saudi funds." Because they are eloquent, the radicals soon became the official spokesmen of the Muslim community, also in dealing with the city authorities. Ms. Uijt den Bogaard witnessed how the latter gave in to Salafist demands, such as the demand for separate swimming hours for Muslim women in the municipal pools.
Worried immigrants told Ms. Uijt den Bogaard what was happening. On the basis of their accounts and her own experiences she wrote (confidential) reports for the city authorities about the growing radicalization. This brought her into conflict, both with the Islamists and her bosses in the city.
The city warned her that her reports were unacceptable, that they read like "Vlaams Belang tracts" (the Vlaams Belang is Antwerp's anti-immigrant party) and that she had to "change her attitude." The Islamists sensed that she disapproved of them. They might also have been informed, because there are Muslims working in the city administration. One day, when she was accompanied by her superior, she was attacked by a Muslim youth. Her superior refused to interfere. When she questioned him afterward he said that all the animosity toward her was her own fault.
In the end she was fired. She is unemployed at the moment and gets turned away whenever she applies for another job as a civil servant. Last week, she learned that city authorities have given the job of integration officer, whose task it is to supervise 25 Antwerp mosques, to one of the radical Salafists. Meanwhile, the latter have threatened her with reprisals if she continues to speak out.
Read the whole article here.
Surge News: Continues to Improve
As to hard numbers:
The rate of killings of US troops in Iraq has been on the decline, down by 60 percent, since the launch of the new security measures in Baghdad, according to statistics revealed by the Multi-National Force -Iraq Combined Press Information Centre.
Only 17 members of the US military in Iraq have been killed since February 14 till March 13, compared to 42 from January 13 to February 13; the rate was on the decline during the first month of the security crackdown, compared to a month before.
Two of the 17 soldiers died at US Baghdad camps of non-combat causes.
The remarkable decrease in killings among the US troops came at a time when more of these troops were deployed in the Iraqi capital, especially in districts previously regarded as extremely hazardous for them such as Al-Sadr City, Al-Azamiyah, and Al-Doura.
Meanwhile, US attacks on insurgent strongholds north of Baghdad curbed attacks against helicopters. Before the new security plan, many such craft were downed leaving 20 soldiers dead.
From Kuwait New Agency (KUNA)
In other related news:
Army Maj. Gen. William Caldwell told reporters at a news conference that the decrease in violence has created an opportunity for new progress.
. . . .
“Iraqi forces are getting better each day, and are demonstrating the commitment needed to defend the government and the people,” he added.
He cited two recent incidents in which Iraqi forces demonstrated their willingness to defend all citizens. On March 10, a terrorist attempted to penetrate Sadr City, a Shiia enclave in Eastern Baghdad. Seven Iraqi soldiers manning a checkpoint were killed, but the the unit foiled the attack. Had the bomber been able to gain access, hundreds could have been killed, Caldwell said.
On March 12, another terrorist tried to take a car bomb into a crowded area in Ramadi. “The Iraqi security forces did not let him succeed,” Caldwell said. “They stopped him at the gate with small-arms fire, causing him to prematurely detonate his car bomb.”
The attack wounded three Iraqi soldiers and eight civilians, including two children. But the actions of the Iraqi forces prevented a greater tragedy, the general said.
In both cases, terrorists were again “trying to spark that cycle of violence by creating another high-profile massacre,” Caldwell said.
“For decades, the Iraqi army was used to divide and oppress the Iraqi people,” he said. “Now the Iraqi people are being protected by an Iraqi army that is demonstrating great resolve and is starting to prove its loyalty to all.”
The decrease in violence allows political and economic progress in the country, Caldwell said. Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al Maliki – a Shiia Muslim – visited Ramadi yesterday and met with Sunni tribal leaders and the Anbar provincial governor. The prime minister said terrorists driven from Baghdad as part of the security plan will try to move to other areas of the country. He promised to help the provincial forces fight the insurgents.
All of this requires patience and determination, Caldwell said. The Baghdad security plan is well started, but it is in its early stage, Caldwell said. Two of the five U.S. brigades that ultimately will work in the city have arrived, and another is in Kuwait. Defense Department officials said the surge will be finished by the end of May.
“We are seeing positive signs in the streets,” Caldwell said. “There are signs that life is improving for the people in Iraq. There has been a decrease in violence, but things need to get better. We still need to be patient.”
Read the whole story here.
Unable to Keep An Eye On CAIR - Part 6.1
We were unable to keep an eye On CAIR this time because CAIR apparently bears a grudge against any individual or group that has the temerity to do anything other then blindly swallow CAIR’s dubious propoganda. Dinah Lord at Maverick News caught this one.
CAIR was holding their news conference today to announce the Six Flying Imams lawsuit. It was soon clear that CAIR did not want anyone there that might raise uncomfortable questions regarding the veracity of the Six Imams in light of the substantial evidence to the contrary, nor, for at least one of them, questions about his significant ties to organizations shut down in the past few years for their criminal ties to terrorist entities. Apparently, CAIR expected just such questions from CBN, the Christian Broadcasting Network. And thus, the CBN crew were unceremoniously ejected from the premises by Ibrahim Hooper, who added
If the irony of that statement does not have you rolling on the floor in gales of laughter, you either have no sense of humor or simply are not yet up to snuff on the nature of Wahhabi Islam and the track record of CAIR -- in which case its time to hit the books.
We have long barred the Christian Broadcasting Network from our news conferences because of their long, long history of vicious, anti-Muslim bigotry. And we have no motivation to promote that kind of intolerance. And it's a private function and we have decided they are not welcome.
Please read Ms. Lord's entire post here.
Moderate Islam in America and CAIR's Strategy
This morning, I happened upon a 2002 editorial in the newspaper Pakistan Today. The editorial was written by Tashbih Sayyed, a reporter who had left the Pakistan for the United States as he was coming under increasing pressure to conform his articles to hardline muslim fundementalist mores. Mr. Sayyed addressed in his article what he saw as wrong with Wahhabi / Deobandi Islam, and tells how he had hoped to find a practice of moderate Islam in America, only to find much of the Wahhabi poison already seeping into the fabric of America.
In this 2002 article, Mr. Sayyed forecasts precisely the strategy of the Wahhabists and CAIR that we see being played out today -- to claim leadership of all muslims in America, to silence moderate muslim voices, and to drive a wedge between all Muslims in America and all non-Muslims. This is a very important read, particularly coming on the heels of the the Flying Imams (here and here) and CAIR's attempts to silence and belittle the Secular Islam Summit (here).
It is to help people like this author, Mr. Sayyed, that we need to challenge organizations such as CAIR at every turn. And it is Mr. Sayyed's voice, like the voices of those who participated in the Secular Islam Summit, that we need to amplify until it reaches decibels exponentially above that of CAIR's.
The US, more than any Muslim country, understands the principles Allah values and protects them through the US Constitution. The Constitution proclaims that the US government is a creation "of the people by the people and for the people." Allah's will does not favor a particular faith, color or creed, and neither does the American constitution. Allah advocates the middle road hoping that every person will not only take care of themselves, but will work to make the lives of their community members better as well. American values teach the same, translating the idea of social justice into civil liberties principles like the right to privacy, and education without any prejudice or discrimination. Volunteering and charitable work are respected as well. One only has to demonstrate a will to perform.
Islamists know that if American values are allowed to spread in the Muslim world, it will help the evolution of a Muslim state of mind that believes in democracy, pluralism and social justice. The real Islam which, up until now, has lain imprisoned in books, can finally be set free. The US can help in the establishment of a democratic society in the Muslim world after fifteen hundred years of intellectual despotism.
. . . .
In a polarized American society, it will be easy for the Islamists to achieve their goal. It will create a sense of insecurity among Muslims. To make the Muslims feel insecure in America and to force them to join the radical Islamist groups, a deliberate attempt is being made by Islamists to drive a wedge between Muslims and non Muslims. Innocent incidents are being turned into events that cause non-Muslims to dislike Muslims. The non-Muslims are intentionally made to hate Muslims. Situations are being created under which a non Muslim is made to think that Islam is not a peaceful religion and Muslims are not law abiding citizens.
I urge you to read the entire editorial here (part 1) and here (part 2).
Mr. Sayyad has written numerous editorials for Pakistan Today since the two I have linked here, and all are collected on the newspapers archives. I have not read them all yet, but do intend to do so over the next few days. You can find the archives here.
Taliban & Al Qaeda Taking the Fight -- To Pakistan
The New York Times is reporting that the Taliban and al Qaeda, operating from their safe havens in Waziristan of the North West Fronteir Province (NWFP), are behind several recent suicide attacks aimed at targets inside Pakistan. The attacks are apparently meant as reprisals for prior attacks by the government of Perez Musharraf and as a warning against taking any future action.
[I]n recent weeks the suicide bombers have turned on Pakistan itself, carrying out six attacks and killing 35 people. Militant leaders have threatened to unleash scores more, in effect opening a new front in their war.
Diplomats and concerned residents see the bombings as proof of a spreading “Talibanization,” as Pakistan’s president, Gen. Perez Musharraf, calls it, which has seeped into more settled districts of Pakistan from the tribal areas along the border, where the Taliban and Al Qaeda have made a home.
In Peshawar and other parts of North-West Frontier Province, which abuts the tribal areas, residents say English-language schools have received threats, schoolgirls have been warned to veil themselves, music is being banned and men are told not to shave their beards.
Then there is the mounting toll of the suicide bombings. One of the most lethal killed 15 people in Peshawar, most of them police officers, including the popular police chief.
The police, on the front line of the violence, have suffered most in many of the suicide attacks, diplomats and officials say. They are increasingly demoralized and cowed, allowing the militancy to spread still further, they warn.
. . . .
The creeping militancy has frustrated government agencies, who disagree over what to do about it, according to one intelligence official.
There is consensus that a large-scale military operation, like the kinds that have failed in recent years, is not the solution. But some diplomats say that the series of peace deals that the government struck with tribal leaders and militants in South and North Waziristan has not worked either.
For instance, according to another Western diplomat, General Musharraf knows the North Waziristan agreement is only 20 to 30 percent effective, but he continues to back it for lack of another plan.
The accord has brought some order to the area’s capital, Miram Shah, according to officials with knowledge of North Waziristan. It has also forced a split among the militants, with the more aggressive followers of Mr. Mehsud and their Qaeda allies congregating in the town of Mir Ali, they said.
Some officials are now arguing that the government should move against the militants in Mir Ali, while supporting the more reasonable ones.
Read the entire article here. I posted an editorial here from a Pakastani paper that dealt with the growing threat of Talibanization spreading its tentacles out from the NWFP into Pakistan proper, as well as another Pakistani editorial here on Musharraf's problems with the NWFP safe havens. Ultimately, neither Musharraf nor the United States and NATO can allow these Taliban and al Qaeda safe havens to exist. But for now, Musharraf must make some hard decisions of how to address the problem.
Tuesday, March 13, 2007
Leaks of Murtha/Pelosi Plan
As we know from the past three years, all things in Washington leak, including confidential Democratic plans to pull out of Iraq. Originally scheduled to be made public on Thursday, Scott Ott of Scrapleface has managed to get a copy of the plan. As Scott tells us:
Although some Congressional Republicans complained that Democrats stuffed the bill with unrelated provisions, Rep. Pelosi insisted that “all of its diverse parts share a common thread.”
In addition to the plan to pull out U.S. troops if the Iraqi government fails to meet certain benchmarks for quelling sectarian violence on a prescribed timeline, the bill also contains language that would…
–Withdraw police from high-crime neighborhoods in major U.S. cities until street gangs put an end to shootings, stabbings and other criminal acts. The bill would allow police to remain in the neighborhood only if they were no longer needed.
– Change the law to require victims of violent crime to stand up to their attackers before the police will intervene to protect them. . .
Read the rest of the post here.
Diplomats Gone Wild
Sometimes, items of no redeeming news value just beg to be published regardless . . .
Israel has recalled its ambassador to El Salvador, after he did his bit for diplomatic relations by being found by police drunk, nearly naked, bound, gagged and wearing a number of sex toys and bondage items.
Although Tzuriel Refael did not break any specific laws - he was in the yard of his residence when he was found – Israel announced that it was recalling him, and seeking a replacement.
'We're talking about behaviour that is unbecoming of a diplomat,' said Foreign Ministry spokeswoman.
Read the rest of the story here.
Keeping an Eye on CAIR - Part 6: The Flying Imams File
CAIR has held its press conference announcing the filing of the lawsuit by the flying imams. Their press release also has a link to the lawsuit itself. According to the facts therein, the imams were the model of decorum, at no time even discussing religion or politics, and indeed, several of the imams fell asleep upon boarding. Damn, how did it happen that all of the people who gave evidence in the police report to the contrary (see here) conspired to lie against these men just because they were Muslims? Its just rampant Islamaphobia, I guess. We will just have to wait for discovery -- and I do so with baited breath.
BushHitler & BBC Anti-American Bias
More from 18 Doughty Street and Robin Aitken on the extreme anti-American bias of the BBC.
Hattip: Biased BBC
Update: And more from 18 Doughty Street on this:
Here's a quote for you...
“I mean in our office there’s a picture of Bush as Hitler. I don’t know where they got it, but yes, Bush as Hitler. It’s quite a serious thing comparing Bush to Hitler! So did anyone in the newsroom in question object? No. Nobody did.”
The newsroom in question is one of the main newsrooms of the BBC. The crucial thing about the quotation above - from a BBC journalist - is that no BBC staffer objected to the poster being put on the wall of one of the major newsrooms of the world's most influential broadcaster. The anti-American bias of the BBC was recently acknowledged by the Corporation's own Washington correspondent, Justin Webb. Mr Webb told a BBC seminar that his employer treated America with scorn and derision and gave it 'no moral weight'.
MSM Preferring War Victims to War Heroes?
Halliburton: The Stupidest Move Ever?
Epaminondas at Maverick News reflects upon the degree of intelligence evinced in a decision by Halliburton to "move its base from Texas to Dubai," concluding that "Halliburton richly deserves every investigative colonoscopy which I am sure, Mr. Dingell has planned."
Read the whole post here.
China's Role in Weapons Proliferation
China is hardly an ally of the United States. Despite symbiotic economies, the Chinese Communist government is not only upgrading its military far beyond any defensive posture, it also plays a large role in WMD proliferation and proliferation of the missle technology used to deliver such weapons. This from the Congressional Research Service (CRS) publication "China and Proliferation of Weapons of Mass Destruction and Missiles: Policy Issues:"
China has taken some steps to mollify U.S. concerns about its role in weapons proliferation. Nonetheless, supplies from China have aggravated trends that result in ambiguous technical aid, more indigenous capabilities, longer-range missiles, and secondary (retransferred) proliferation. Asthe Director of Central Intelligence (DCI) has reported to Congress, China remains a “key supplier” of weapons technology, particularly missile or chemical technology.Read the CRS here.
Hattip: Secrecy News
UN Report - Israel Has Not Harmed the Temple Mount
A vocal minority of the Muslim world, CAIR included, has sought to demonize the Israelis, manipulate world opinion, and whip Muslims into a frenzy over allegations that Israel was damaging the Temple Mount in the process of restoring a damaged gateway. It is an utter canard that I previously posted here. Eye on the World is reporting on a just released UN report absolving the Israelis and stating that there is no evidence of any damage to the Temple Mount as part of Israeli excavations. Read the entire post.
Update: Haaretz has an article on the UNESCO report here. While Israel is absolved of harming the Temple Mount, UNESCO is asking Israel to stop the dig until "international parties" arrive with the intent of observing Israel's every move. That sounds like a potential nightmare, given the anti-semetic bent of so many "international parties" these days. Let us hope that Israel sticks with its construction schedule.
More Skepticism of the Goracle's Recoligion
Fausta has an excellent post on, as she terms it, Medieval Environmentalism. She provides numerous links and embedded videos as she examines various facets of the recoligion, as well as entertains with a story of a brush with death caused by her own blasphemy. She comes away not totally convinced in the dogma expounded by the Goracle and his alcolytes, but, fortunately, with her head still attached to her body.Last year I became convinced that belief in Medieval envoronmentalism and Global Warming is a religion. I was attending a conference and during lunch break the subject of global warming came up. I politely stated, "I'm not totally sold on global warming".
Read the rest of her post here.
Mind you, I didn't say "I don't believe in global warming", or "antropologically-induced global warming is a scam", or "this is such hooey", or anything like it. I just said (in a near-whisper at that) that I wasn't totally sold on global warming.
The reaction around the table was that of intense shock and disgust. One man put down his sandwich and turned red.
Had I verbalized the most appallingly obscene blasphemy I would not have received such disgust. I even speculate that some of those present might have even admired my "courage" and "honesty" in the name of "diversity".
After much animated conversation, and intense placating from a very conciliatory lady sitting next to me who got everybody to calm down by agreeing not to kill me on the spot (I belive the sandwich guy was contemplating where to hide my corpse) and my saying that "climate changes", I knew I was, definitely and beyond a doubt, in the presence of True Faith: they had Seen the Light, and the Light was set on Warm.
But you gotta give Al credit - he's the only man in history to have won an Oscar for a souped-up powerpoint presentation.
Senator Lieberman On Iraq
Senator Joe Lieberman has issued a press release of his remarks made yesterday at a speech before AIPAC. Once again, Senator Lieberman hits precisely the right notes:
Increasingly, the debate over our foreign policy is becoming so polarized, so partisan, so bound up in the battles we are having here in Washington, that it seems blind to the real battle outside of America, the challenge of our time from the Islamist extremists who want to destroy us all, who attacked America on September 11, 2001, and intend to do so again.
. . . .
Given all the mistakes made in Iraq, all of the setbacks and disappointments, I understand how well-intentioned people have come to disagree about the war. . .
But I continue to believe that a withdrawal from Iraq, as many are now urging, would be a victory for Iran and Al Qaeda and the cause of Islamist extremism, and a catastrophic defeat for the United States and all who desire peace and security and freedom in the Middle East and here at home.
We are now implementing a new plan for success in Iraq, with new troops under a new commander. That is why I have called for a six-month truce in the political wars in Washington to give that new plan, those new troops, and that new commander a chance to succeed. And I call on all who care about security and peace in the Middle East, and security from terrorism here at home, to do the same.
. . . .
There is something profoundly wrong when opposition to the war in Iraq seems to inspire greater passion than opposition to Islamist extremism. There is something profoundly wrong when there is so much distrust of our intelligence community that some Americans doubt the plain and ominous facts about the threat to us posed by Iran. And there is something profoundly wrong when, in the face of attacks by radical Islam, we think we can find safety and stability by pulling back, by talking to and accommodating our enemies, and abandoning our friends and allies.
Some of this wrong-headed thinking about the world is happening because we're in a political climate where, for many people, when George Bush says "yes," their reflex reaction is to say "no." That is unacceptable.
. . . .
It's time to step back and remember that there is a real enemy out there—an enemy violently opposed to human rights and women's rights and gay rights and the basic political rights of each one of us.
It's time to step back and see that America's interests lie with the interests of free people everywhere, and that the response to radical Islam is not to abandon them but to stand with them—whether they are in Baghdad or Teheran or Jerusalem. . . .
Read the entire speech here.
Hattip: Powerline
Washington Post Editorial Rips Pelosi Plan For Retreat From Iraq
A scathing Washington Post editorial today excoriates Nancy Pelosi for the pork laden plan she is putting together to force U.S. troops out of Iraq without addressing the consequences of such an act, nor the Constitutional separation of powers issues inherent in her plan.THE RESTRICTIONS on Iraq war funding drawn up by the House Democratic leadership are exquisitely tailored to bring together the party's leftist and centrist wings. . . . And there are plenty of enticements on the side: more money for wounded veterans, for children's health, for post-Hurricane Katrina reconstruction.
The only constituency House Speaker Nancy Pelosi< ignored in her plan for amending President Bush's supplemental war funding bill are the people of the country that U.S. troops are fighting to stabilize. The Democratic proposal doesn't attempt to answer the question of why August 2008 is the right moment for the Iraqi government to lose all support from U.S. combat units. It doesn't hint at what might happen if American forces were to leave at the end of this year -- a development that would be triggered by the Iraqi government's weakness. It doesn't explain how continued U.S. interests in Iraq, which holds the world's second-largest oil reserves and a substantial cadre of al Qaeda militants, would be protected after 2008; in fact, it may prohibit U.S. forces from returning once they leave.
The editorial goes on to chastise Speaker Pelosi for crafting a plan that impedes the Constitutional powers of the President to serve as Commander and Chief of our Armed Forces:Ms. Pelosi's strategy leads not toward a responsible withdrawal from Iraq but to a constitutional power struggle with Mr. Bush, who has already said he will veto the legislation. Such a struggle would serve the interests of neither the Democrats nor the country.
Read the whole editorial here.
The Crimes That Weren't - A Republican Outrage
First we had a three year criminal investigation that occurred after it was determined that no crime had been committed -- that was the Libby trial. That occurred because Republicans caved to Democratic pressure. See here.
Now we have the Democrats, complete with front page headline news in the ever congenial MSM newspapers, claiming that there was a scandal in the firing of seven U.S. attorneys. See the NYT here, and the Washington Post here. But this is a non-issue. U.S. attorneys are a part of the Executive branch and serve at the pleasure of the President. They can be fired for any reason, or no reason at all. Initially upon taking office in 1993, Bill Clinton sacked every U.S. attorney -- that means ninety-three. Nothing was raised at the time because it was a non-issue. It was well within his Constitutional powers to take that action.
I want to scream. Why in God's name is not every Republican out there screaming about 
this in front of every television camera they can find, charging every Democratic senator and representative claiming this to be a scandal with gross hypocrisy, cynicism, and a failure to read the Constitution -- or at least the part were it talks about a separation of powers. Once again, this administration, and every elected Republican in Congress, is defending itself like a 3 year old child. Where is B-1 Bob Dornan when you need him? For the sake of the Republican party, we need to reelect him or elect his clone. This current crop of Republicans are political wimps incapable of effectively defending themselves -- to the detriment of the country as a whole.
Update: See here for hypocrisy writ so large on this issue that it can only be described as Schumerian.
Symbolism From The Surge
Occasional symbolic acts are important. Today we have Prime Minister al Maliki leaving Baghdad's green zone and travelling to Ramadi in Anbar Province to visit with the Sunni Governor and tribal leaders. Read the whole story here.
Keeping An Eye On CAIR: Part 5 - Conspiring to Attack Our National Security
It appears today that there is a conspiracy involving CAIR and several imams, and at least several Democrats in what may be an ancillary role. The conspiracy is one to change the laws of the United States in such a manner as to seriously hamstring our police and security forces in their efforts to investigate Muslims for suspected involvement in terrorist plans, and to do so for the benefit of Wahhabi Islam. This is CAIR’s boldest effort yet to manipulate Americans and the American government to bend to Wahhabi Islam.
If you are not familiar with CAIR, they are the Council for American Islamic Relations, a Wahhabi / Salafi organization with terrorist ties. CAIR’s goal is not to see Muslim’s integrate into American society, but rather to prevent such integration and to force America to modify its values so as to accept Wahhabi Islam in its current form -- as exported from Saudi Arabia. To quote CAIR chairman Omar Ahmad from a 1998 Muslim rally in California:
"Islam isn't in America to be equal to any other faith, but to become dominant. The Quran should be the highest authority in America, and Islam the only accepted religion on earth."
9-11 was neither the first or last plan by radical Wahhabi Muslims to destroy air planes in flight or to use them as weapons. In 1995, al Qaeda had planned to destroy eleven U.S. airplanes over the Pacific. There was 9-11 and, in its aftermath, another plan, this one to destroy ten airplanes headed to the United States from London. That one was broken up last year. Then there have been countless other arrests – almost all Wahhabi or the Pakistani variant, Deobandi – Muslims who have planned to carry out other terrorist attacks against the United States. Suffice it to say, these acts give American’s a reasonable concern about security when it comes to our Wahhabi friends, not to mention Khomeinists and Deobandis.
CAIR, for its part, has regularly agitated against actions of law enforcement and security officers when, in the conduct of their duties, they have detained or otherwise investigated Muslims. CAIR vociferously opposed the Patriot Act, and has come out strongly in opposition to all of the confidential operations being run by the U.S. government that have been leaked to the newspapers since 2002.
Additionally, CAIR has lobbied for the passage of legislation specifically to “protect” Muslims from the evils of “Islamaphobic” American law enforcement and security personnnel. In this, CAIR has had no better friend in government then John Conyers, the Democratic Congressman from Michigan. In 2004, and then again in 2005, Conyers and Nancy Pelosi sponsored a truly insidious piece of the legislation, the End Racial Profiling Act. Whether this legislation originated from CAIR’s office or perhaps in coordination with CAIR, we do not know. But the legislation specifically states:
In the wake of the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, many Arabs, Muslims, Central and South Asians, and Sikhs, as well as other immigrants and Americans of foreign descent, were treated with generalized suspicion and subjected to searches and seizures based upon religion and national origin, without trustworthy information linking specific individuals to criminal conduct. Such profiling has failed to produce tangible benefits, yet has created a fear and mistrust of law enforcement agencies in these communities.
Proof that the routine or spontaneous investigatory activities of law enforcement agents in a jurisdiction have had a disparate impact on racial , ethnic, or religious minorities shall constitute prima facie evidence of a violation of this title
Do not underestimate the power of civil law to work a drastic change in the actions of the government. This Act is utterly horrendous. It flys in the face of reasonable security precautions taken in light of the known threat from Islamic terrorists. Instead of focusing its efforts assiduously on cleaning up Wahhabi Islam, CAIR wants to have its religion granted blind dispensation.
When John Conyers introduce the End Racial Profiling Act in 2004 and then again in 2005, it went nowhere. It seemed to be a dead bill. But then a strange event happened.
In November, 2006, six imams traveled to Minnesota to attend a conference of the North American Imams Federation (NAIF). During the conference, they met with Keith Ellison, the newly elected Congressman who is the first Muslim elected to Congress. Keith Ellison also sits on the Judiciary Committee, and, since being sworn into Congress, has spoken of his support for legislation to end racial profiling. As to the six imams, they were scheduled to return to Phoenix on November 20 aboard a U.S. Airways Flight. Between their arrival at the airport, the boarding of plane, and then actions after boarding, it seems that the Imams took great pains to raise a reasonable suspicion that they may be terrorists.According to an AP news article that night:
Six Muslim imams were removed from a US Airways flight at Minneapolis- St. Paul International Airport on Monday and questioned by police for several hours before being released, a leader of the group said.
The six were among passengers who boarded Flight 300, bound for Phoenix, around 6:30 p.m., airport spokesman Pat Hogan said.
A passenger initially raised concerns about the group through a note passed to a flight attendant, according to Andrea Rader, a spokeswoman for US Airways. She said police were called after the captain and airport security workers asked the men to leave the plane and the men refused.
"They took us off the plane, humiliated us in a very disrespectful way," said Omar Shahin, of Phoenix.
. . . .
Three of them stood and said their normal evening prayers together on the plane, as 1.7 billion Muslims around the world do every day, Shahin said. He attributed any concerns by passengers or crew to ignorance about Islam.
"I never felt bad in my life like that," he said. "I never. Six imams. Six leaders in this country. Six scholars in handcuffs. It's terrible."
Ibrahim Hooper, spokesman for (CAIR) . . . said US Airways refused to put the men on another flight.
. . . .
The other passengers on the flight, which was carrying 141 passengers and five crew members, were re-screened for boarding, Rader said. The plane took off about three hours after the men were removed from the flight.
Here is a summary from witness statements and police reports, compliments of Powerline.
* A passenger became concerned by what he saw and passed a note detailing his fears to a stewardess.
Contrary to press accounts that a single note from a passenger triggered the imams' removal, Captain John Howard Wood was weighing multiple factors.
* An Arabic speaker was seated near two of the imams in the plane's tail. That passenger pulled a flight attendant aside and, in a whisper, translated what the men were saying: invoking "bin Laden" and condemning America for "killing Saddam," according to police reports.
* An imam seated in first class asked for a seat-belt extender - the extra strap that obese people use because the standard belt is too short. According to both an on-duty and a deadheading flight attendant, he looked too thin to need one. A seat-belt extender can easily be used as a weapon - just wrap one end around your fist, and swing the heavy metal buckle.
* All six imams had boarded together, with the first-class passengers - even though only one of them had a first-class ticket. Three had one-way tickets. Between the six men, only one had checked a bag.
And, Pauline [. . . a passenger on the flight] said, they spread out - just like the 9/11 hijackers. Two sat in first class, two in the middle and two back in the economy section, police reports show. Some, according to Rader, took seats not assigned to them.
* Finally, a gate attendant told the captain she was suspicious of the imams, according to police reports.
So the captain made his decision to delay the flight based on many complaints, not one. He also consulted a federal air marshal, a U.S. Airways ground-security coordinator and the airline's security office in Phoenix. All thought the imams were acting suspiciously, [US Airways spokesman] Rader told me.
One more odd thing went unnoticed at the time: The men prayed both at the gate and on the plane. Yet observant Muslims pray only once at sundown, not twice.
Also in the police report: One imam had complained to a passenger that some nations don't follow sharia law and had said his job in Bakersfield, Calif., was a cover for "representing Muslims here in the U.S."
This certainly sounds as if the Imams were coached to -- and did all that they could to -- raise the tension level in the airplane to a fever pitch in an attempt to get precisely the reaction that they in fact triggered. Before the sun set the next day, CAIR issued a statement, alledging this to be unjustified racial profiling and “flying while Muslim.” CAIR concluded its letter by stating: We encourage a thorough investigation into the matter and call for the passing of the End Racial Profiling Act, which is currently pending in Congress."
CAIR will announce today, from its Washington Headquarters, that the six imams are suing U.S. Airways, who to its credit, has refused to budge in settlement negotiations.
Conclusion: It seems likely that the event with U.S. Airways was staged in coordination with CAIR in order to generate publicity to revive and pass the End Racial Profiling Act. Further, there may or may not be actual collusion involving Democratic members of Congress, most likely Keith Ellison and / or John Conyers.
